Criminals forced to hand over almost £1m

PUBLISHED: 01:02 20 May 2008 | UPDATED: 20:25 05 July 2010

ALMOST £1 million has been seized from criminals in Suffolk in the past year, new figures have today revealed.

The new figures released by Suffolk Constabulary have been uncovered at the start of national tackling drugs week - with the warning to continue pursuing offenders who live off the proceeds of drug crimes and to recover their illegal wealth through court confiscation and forfeiture orders.

ALMOST £1 million has been seized from criminals in Suffolk in the past year, new figures have today revealed.

The new figures released by Suffolk Constabulary have been uncovered at the start of national tackling drugs week - with the warning to continue pursuing offenders who live off the proceeds of drug crimes and to recover their illegal wealth through court confiscation and forfeiture orders.

“The Financial Investigation Unit will continue to seek to use the powers afforded by the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) 2002, with the intention of taking the profit out of crime in Suffolk, and by doing so ensuring that those who engage in criminal activity in the county do not benefit from their crime,” Detective Sergeant Andy Gould, who is a specialist Financial Investigator with Suffolk's Financial Investigation Unit, said.

“We will not only put them before the courts, we will also use the latest legislation to strip them of the ill-gotten gains they've generated from those crimes.”

During 2007/8 the Financial Investigation Unit secured 111 Proceeds of Crime Act Orders, which totalled £945,999.27. A significant number of these orders resulted directly from convictions for drug trafficking offences committed within Suffolk. Anyone who has information about the illegal drugs trade should contact Suffolk Police on 01473 613500.